mental health
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With Sisters Thrive, Chirlane McCray Is Tapping the Power of Black Women to Address the Mental Health Crisis
Chirlane McCray is doing the work. A recent write-up in the New York Times noted that McCray had redefined the role of first lady in the nation’s most populous city, with the paper calling her “likely the most influential, if not consequential” first lady in New York City’s history. McCray’s focus on mental health services…
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Virginia Man Charged With Hate Crime Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity in Terrifying Attack on Black Woman
A Virginia man who was facing multiple charges, including committing a hate crime after police said he dragged a black woman out of her car and attacked her based on her race, has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, 27-year-old Matthew R. Ellis was found not guilty by…
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I Hate the Collection of Pills I Need to Take Each Day … but I Love Them Because They’re Keeping Me Sane (and Alive!)
There are many things I hate about Crazytown. I don’t like the stigma that comes with living here. The cost of living is insane. (Can you say thousands in copays alone each year?) And I hate that people I love have to live here, too, by default. But can I tell you what I hate…
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The Doctor Is In: Reframing the Christmas Blues
Full disclosure: I love Christmas. Like, in a frenetic, maniacal way. I love all the glittering, sparkly, tinsel-covered days leading up to Dec. 25. But glancing at my timeline across social media, I’ve begun to notice a trend: Not everyone shares my sentiments about the season of joy and cheer. And while I understand that…
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It Took 20 Years to Share My Mental Health Struggles. My Silence Could Have Killed Me
This past weekend, there were reports that Lowell Hawthorne, founder of Golden Krust, committed suicide. Early reports indicate that his employees were shocked and had no clue that he might have been dealing with some issues. There were comments like “If only he had spoken up” on social media sites. So, what if he had…
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Trauma May Be Passed Through Generations From Mothers to Daughters
A new study reveals that the daughters of women exposed to childhood trauma are at increased risk for psychiatric disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder. However, the study also concluded that there was no effect among male children, and no effect among children of either sex born to fathers who participated in the analysis.…
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Deputy Sheriff Under Fire for Blackface Frederica Wilson Halloween Costume Because Whiteness Might Be a Mental Illness
The NAACP has issued a complaint against a Virginia sheriff’s deputy who works in the school system after she donned blackface and dressed up as Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) to accompany her boyfriend, who was dressed up as Donald Trump, to a Halloween party. I know—there is so much wrong with that previous sentence, but…
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US Army Quietly Lifts Ban on Recruits With Some Mental Health Issues
Most likely as part of its quest to make a stated goal of recruiting 80,000 new soldiers by next year, the Army quietly loosened its rules in order to allow those with a history of self-mutilation, bipolar disorder, depression, and drug and alcohol abuse to join its ranks through waivers. According to USA Today, the…
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Daylight Saving Time Is a Depression-Inducing Devil, so Here’s What I Do to Keep It From Keeping Me Down
Greetings from CrazyTown! These are dangerous times for those of us who live in CrazyTown. Let me explain. About eight years ago, I went to pick up my kid from day care. The clocks had been adjusted the night before, so I knew it would be getting darker, earlier. I went into her day care…